Preparation

Opening response

Prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, God of compassion and mercy,to you be praise and glory forever.In the darkness of our sin,your light breaks forth like the dawnand your healing springs up for deliverance.As we rejoice in the gift of your saving help,sustain us with your bountiful Spiritand open our lips to sing your praise.Blessed be God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.Blessed be God forever.

Hymn

Jesus, Thou Sovereign Lord of All

Charles Wesley

Jesus, thou sovereign Lord of all,The same through one eternal day,Attend thy feeblest follower’s call,And O, instruct us how to pray!Pour out the supplicating grace,And stir us up to seek thy face.

We cannot think a gracious thought,We cannot feel a good desire,Till thou, who callest worlds from nought,The power into our hearts inspire;And then we in the Spirit groan,And then we give thee back thine own.

Jesus, regard the joint complaintOf all thy tempted followers here,And now supply the common want,And send us down the Comforter,The spirit of ceaseless prayer impart,And fix thy Agent in our heart.

Come in thy pleading Spirit downTo us who for thy coming stay;Of all thy gifts we ask but one,We ask the constant power to pray;Indulge us, Lord, in this request,Thou canst not then deny the rest.

Confession of sin

O King enthroned on high,filling the earth with your glory:holy is your name,Lord God almighty.

May the God of all healing and forgivenessdraw us to himself,and cleanse us from all our sinsthat we may behold the glory of his Son,the Word made flesh,Jesus Christ our Lord.Amen.

The Word of God

Psalm 42

Refrain:My whole being thirsts for God, for the living God.

Just like a deer that craves streams of water, my whole being craves you, God.My whole being thirsts for God, for the living God. When will I come and see God’s face?My tears have been my food both day and night, as people constantly questioned me, “Where’s your God now?”But I remember these things as I bare my soul: how I made my way to the mighty one’s abode, to God’s own house, with joyous shouts and thanksgiving songs— a huge crowd celebrating the festival!Why, I ask myself, are you so depressed? Why are you so upset inside?Hope in God! Because I will again give him thanks, my saving presence and my God.My whole being is depressed. That’s why I remember you from the land of Jordan and Hermon, from Mount Mizar.Deep called to deep at the noise of your waterfalls; all your massive waves surged over me.By day the Lord commands his faithful love; by night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life.I will say to God, my solid rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why do I have to walk around, sad, oppressed by enemies?”With my bones crushed, my foes make fun of me, constantly questioning me: “Where’s your God now?”Why, I ask myself, are you so depressed? Why are you so upset inside? Hope in God! Because I will again give him thanks, my saving presence and my God.

Glory to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning is nowand will be forever. Amen.

Refrain:My whole being thirsts for God, for the living God.

Psalm prayer

Come, creator Spirit, source of life;sustain us when our hearts are heavyand our wells have run dry,for you are the Father’s gift,with him who is our living water, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 43

Refrain:Send your light and truth—those will guide me!

Establish justice for me, God! Argue my case against ungodly people! Rescue me from the dishonest and unjust!Because you are my God, my protective fortress! Why have you rejected me? Why do I have to walk around, sad, oppressed by enemies?Send your light and truth—those will guide me! Let them bring me to your holy mountain, to your dwelling place.Let me come to God’s altar—let me come to God, my joy, my delight— then I will give you thanks with the lyre, God, my God!Why, I ask myself, are you so depressed? Why are you so upset inside? Hope in God! Because I will again give him thanks, my saving presence and my God.

Glory to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning is nowand will be forever. Amen.

Refrain:Send your light and truth—those will guide me!

Psalm prayer

Old Testament readingGenesis 42:18-28

On the third day, Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I’m a God-fearing man. If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay in prison, and the rest of you, go, take grain back to those in your households who are hungry. But bring your youngest brother back to me so that your words will prove true and you won’t die.”

So they prepared to do this. The brothers said to each other, “We are clearly guilty for what we did to our brother when we saw his life in danger and when he begged us for mercy, but we didn’t listen. That’s why we’re in this danger now.”

Reuben responded to them, “Didn’t I tell you, ‘Don’t do anything wrong to the boy’? But you wouldn’t listen. So now this is payback for his death.” They didn’t know that Joseph was listening to them because they were using an interpreter. He stepped away from them and wept. When he returned, he spoke with them again. Then he took Simeon from them and tied him up in front of them.

Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to put back each man’s silver into his own sack, and to give them provisions for their trip, and it was done. They loaded their grain onto their donkeys, and they set out. When they stopped to spend the night, one of them opened his sack to feed his donkey, and he saw his silver at the top of his sack. He said to his brothers, “My silver’s been returned. It’s right here in my sack.” Their hearts stopped. Terrified, they said to each other, “What has God done to us?”

Silence may be kept.

New Testament readingGalatians 5:2-15

Look, I, Paul, am telling you that if you have yourselves circumcised, having Christ won’t help you. Again I swear to every man who has himself circumcised that he is required to do the whole Law. You people who are trying to be made righteous by the Law have been estranged from Christ. You have fallen away from grace! We eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness through the Spirit by faith. Being circumcised or not being circumcised doesn’t matter in Christ Jesus, but faith working through love does matter.

You were running well—who stopped you from obeying the truth? This line of reasoning doesn’t come from the one who calls you. A little yeast works through the whole lump of dough. I’m convinced about you in the Lord that you won’t think any other way. But the one who is confusing you will pay the penalty, whoever that may be. Brothers and sisters, if I’m still preaching circumcision, why am I still being harassed? In that case, the offense of the cross would be canceled. I wish that the ones who are upsetting you would castrate themselves!

You were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only don’t let this freedom be an opportunity to indulge your selfish impulses, but serve each other through love. All the Law has been fulfilled in a single statement: Love your neighbor as yourself. But if you bite and devour each other, be careful that you don’t get eaten up by each other!

Silence may be kept.

Gospel canticleThe Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)

Refrain: Happy are people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because they will be fed until they are full.

Bless the Lord God of Israelbecause he has come to help and has delivered his people.He has raised up a mighty savior for us in his servant David’s house,just as he said through the mouths of his holy prophets long ago.He has brought salvation from our enemiesand from the power of all those who hate us.He has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,and remembered his holy covenant,the solemn pledge he made to our ancestor Abraham.He has granted that we would be rescuedfrom the power of our enemiesso that we could serve him without fear,in holiness and righteousness in God’s eyes,for as long as we live.You, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way.You will tell his people how to be savedthrough the forgiveness of their sins.Because of our God’s deep compassion,the dawn from heaven will break upon us,to give light to those who are sitting in darknessand in the shadow of death,to guide us on the path of peace.”

Luke 1:68-79

Glory to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning is nowand will be forever. Amen.

Refrain: Happy are people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because they will be fed until they are full.

Brief silence.

The Apostle’s Creed

Let us unite in this historic confession of the Christian faith:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,born of the Virgin Mary,suffered under Pontius Pilate,was crucified, died, and was buried;he descended to the dead.On the third day he rose again;he ascended into heaven,is seated at the right hand of the Father,and will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,the holy catholic church,the communion of saints,the forgiveness of sins,the resurrection of the body,and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers

Intercession and thanksgiving

Prayers are offeredfor the day and its tasksfor the world and its needsfor the Church and her life

Response

Father, by your SpiritBring in your kingdom.

Silence may be kept.

Collect of the day

Almighty God,whose Son Jesus Christ fasted forty days in the wilderness,and was tempted as we are, yet without sin:give us grace to discipline ourselves in obedience to your Spirit;and, as you know our weakness,so may we know your power to save;through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and forever. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Trusting in the compassion of God,as our Savior taught us, so we pray

Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name,your kingdom come,your will be done,on earth as in heaven.Give us today our daily bread.Forgive us our sinsas we forgive those who sin against us.Lead us not into temptationbut deliver us from evil.For the kingdom, the power,and the glory are yoursnow and forever.Amen.